


How to Bond with Your Feline

by Serazimei



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cats, Fluff, Getting Together, I mean they're cops, M/M, No Smut, Slow Burn, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 13:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17623577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serazimei/pseuds/Serazimei
Summary: Nines gets lonely after moving into his own place. Being too stubborn to admit that to his predecessor he decides to get himself a cat. Only the thing seems to despise him.When Gavin has to come to his apartment one day and gets along instantly with his pet Nines is determined to get behind the mystery of cat bonding.





	How to Bond with Your Feline

The decision to adopt a kitten had not been an easy one for the RK900 unit. He had sat countless of hours on his couch, LED whirling yellow, searching for the perfect pet to keep. Loneliness had crept in after leaving Hanks home. But Nines refused to admit that he had gotten attached to the grumpy lieutenant and his prototype. Nines was a grown Android, working with one of the biggest assholes in Detroit to hunt down murderers and drug lords. He would not be defeated by such a simple thing as living on his own.  
So Nines had gone searching for a pet. Spending hours calculating and preconstructing until he had decided to get a cat. After that he had gone through all the available breeds with ridiculous amounts of care. Given his efforts the mission should have been a full success. But it wasn't.  
Nines sat scowling on his couch while his partner Gavin played with the little ball of fluff that was currently rolling around the floor. The furry bitch had never acted like that around him. The first thing the small Maine Coon had done when it was brought home was hide behind the kitchen counter. It hissed whenever he tried to step close and only ate when he wasn't looking. In the three weeks he had had her the kitten did not once come to him. And here she was happily playing with a perfect stranger. The traitor.  
Gavin must have felt his glare because he looked up. A big mistake given that he still had the tail of the plastic mouse in his hand. The detective yelped as little needles pierced his skin. It quickly turned into a laugh however, Gavin playfully ruffling the little ones fur making the kitten fall over.

„Clumsy bastard.“ Gavin laughed before his attention was drawn back to his Android partner. „You look like you've just swallowed a lemon. What's up?“

„We are wasting our time here, Detective. I have „patched myself up“ as you said. We should get back to the station now.“

It was true that they had only come to Nines' because he had run low on Thirium. Being more resilient than Connor and able to filter through more amounts of data in a shorter time span unfortunately had its setbacks. If he used too much processing power he tended to overheat a bit, which caused his Thirium levels to sink. His predecessor didn't know that, Nines tried to keep it a secret that he was actually quite unfinished yet. There were some bugs his „brother“ didn't have that Cyberlife hadn't had the time to fix before the revolution. It was not a big hinderance, however. And as long as he was able to outperform his prototype he was fine with a few, slight imperfections.  
He had needed to replenish some Thirium X, though. Something not readily available in the Cyberlife stores, it being a special, advanced kind of Thirium for even faster data delivery. His place had been the nearest available source. And Gavin had just followed along, being the noisy bastard that he was.

„Yeah, no. Shift has ended minutes ago, terminator. So what's up.“

Nines couldn't help but eye the kitten now headbutting Gavins knee to get his attention back. Gavins gaze instantly followed. He gave an incredulous snort.

„You can't be fucking serious. You're jealous. Cool your shit, tin can, you have her all the time.“

„That may be so, but-“ Nines stopped, unwilling to admit that he had failed in befriending his feline companion.

But Gavin wasn't a detective for nothing, smelling the insecurity like a shark smelled blood. Nines saw the glint in his eyes that promised trouble and mentally steeled himself. As entertaining as his partners assholery was now and then, it did hit some of RKs buttons sometimes.

„What your pet scared of you?“ Gavin sneered holding the kitten up to wiggle in front of him. The thing mewled as if to back the human up.

„Of course not.“

His voice must have come out a bit too monotone again, a trait he somehow couldn't shake whenever he felt uncomfortable. For someone built for police work he was a terrible liar. But then again his only job had been to eliminate all the deviants. Shooting on sight would not have needed social protocols. Too bad he had been activated already deviant. All that careful programming and skill balancing for nothing. Gavin at least only scoffed at him, plopping the Coon on Nines lap. The young one fucking yowled as if she had been dumped into ice cold water and leapt off him the instant her little paws hit the fabric of his dress pants.  
Gavin cackled while Nines used all his processing power not to pout.

„Yeah not scared of you my ass. Sheesh and I thought cats loved computers. Maybe you're not hot enough.“

It was said in jest, but after Gavin left Nines thought about it. He was determined now more than ever to befriend his feline. He'd deactivate himself if he ever let himself get bested by Gavin Reed of all people. He sat down again after closing and locking his door already looking for ways to make the cat like him.

____________________

1) Heating up

As much as he disliked the thought of being a servant to anyone, Nines believed that Gavin had a point. Cats loved warmth more than anything. Only his cat would probably choose the heater over him. So he did what any sensible Android would do. He switched off his heating system in the flat and opened the windows to let in as much cold air as possible. And then he sat down willing his own temperature regulations to up the heat.  
His cat jumped on the window sill first, curious of the world below. A loud honk startled it after a few minutes and made it hide back behind the counter. All the while Nines sat perfectly still and waited. And waited. It started to get really stuffy under his jacket. Then error warnings popped up one after the other. He was overheating his systems, but the kitten still wouldn't come to him. She needed some time to recover from the shock before, Nines told himself.  
Just a little longer.

**Error: System Overheating**

It would only take a few more minutes. He was sure.

**Error: Optical Units Malfunctioning**  
→ Reboot?  
> Yes  
> No

It was going to be fine. He would not fail this simple task.

**Warning: System Shutdown in [03:00:00]**

_Knock_

Nines face twitched. He was panting now and as often as he waved away the warnings and errors in his vision the timer wouldn't shut down. The knocking on his door got louder, soon being followed by a „Hey open up asshole!“.  
It took nearly all of his strength to lift himself up and stagger to his door. He couldn't see anymore, but there was thankfully nothing in his flat that he could run into. He didn't see Gavins angry face when he opened the door, only heard him as if his ears were stuffed in cotton.

„Finally! Whoa why the fuck is it so cold in here? Shit why the fuck are you so hot?! Hey, hey tin can the fuck are you doing?“

Nines could feel a body dragging him back into his flat. The door falling shut behind them.

**Warning: System Shutdown in [01:34:19]**

„Cat.“ Was the only thing Nines was able to press out of his voice box. And then another, meager „Heat.“ followed. He frowned in frustration. That had not been a perfect sentence.

„Are you shitting me? Stop overheating now!“

„No...“ it sounded whiny even to his own, nearly failing, ears.

„Oh for fucks sake!“

There was a bright shot of electricity running through his system all of a sudden. The shut down warning stopped at [00:21:08] when suddenly everything went black.  
When he came to again he lay on the cold, tiled floor of his flat. Gavin was sitting on the couch, kitten in his lap. Both squinted at him warily.

„You tasered me.“ Nines said, more surprised than angry.

„You fucking nearly killed yourself to get the cat to come to you.“ Gavin deadpanned. „What's her name anyway?“

Nines blinked at him not all components working at optimal levels just yet. „Did you come here just to ask that?“

„No I came here to pet her and to tease you.“

„But you tasered me.“ Nines couldn't help but get stuck on that. „Why do you have a taser?“

Gavin shrugged letting the kitten wiggle out of his hands to jump back on the floor. It tapped over to the prone Android to sniff at his hair before going over to her food bowl.

„The streets of Detroit are dangerous. Now you answer me.“

„I don't have a name for her yet.“

„Jesus you're bad at this.“

____________________

2) Catnip

The options for names had been nearly overwhelming to Nines. He had decided to postpone naming his pet because of it, reading that animals mostly answered to the tone of voice used towards them anyway. (If they didn't just ignore you all-together, like his feline was doing). Gavin had made quick work of his dilemma by calling the cat Vroom. And when the little bitch actually came to Gavin when he called her that Nines couldn't find a reason to say no to the suggestion. Even if Gavin would not explain to him why he had choosen that name.

Vroom seemed to love Gavins attention. And it bugged Nines to no end. So only a few days later he was out again on the way to a local pet shop. He had read that cats just loved the stuff and that it was often used to make them feel comfortable with new environments or cat equipment. Knowing how stubborn his cat could be he ended up buying ten small packages.  
In hindsight, buying these things before his shift started probably hadn't been a good idea. He had just stepped foot in the precinct when Gavin came rushing at him yelling something about an emergency call. It was only because of his superior programming that he managed to follow the frantic detective immediately.  
The emergency turned out to be a complicated hostage situation involving a little Android girl that had been strapped with explosives. No one was sure yet what the plan of the guy had been. The huge man behind the whole thing was absolutely crazed, half drugged out of his mind and waving his gun around like it was a baton. He was screaming profanities at the SWAT team, which had surrounded the building – a nice but little rundown house in the middle of Detroit. A neighboor had sent in a noise complaint and when the police had showed up to investigate an officer had been shot and backup had to be called. Gavin and Nines had been sent in to negotiate, because Connor and Hank had already been out on a different case. Nines had tried to tell the SWAT team leader that his model wasn't built like Connors, that he was not meant for negotiation. But no one listened to him. So Nines was left with scrambling up clues like a blind chicken searching for corn, occasionally giving feedback to his partner.  
Gavin was just as throughout as him, searching the parameter with determined strides and a watchful gaze, reporting back whenever they crossed paths. They went into the house together whispering their findings to each other, high on alert. The guy - Troy O'Neal - waited in the backyard for them. He was a pretty man in his fourties, dressed well in slacks and dark brown dress pants. His dark, greying hair was combed back. But the look in his eyes was wild and the skin on his face was blotched. He was close to hyperventilating, stress levels reading a phenomenal 97%.

**Probability of Success: 12%**

Nines frowned itching to step up in front of his partner. The RK900 unit would easily be able to withstand a bullet and maybe even an explosion if it was a small one. Humans on the other hand were squishy. But he knew the moment he would try to shield his partner their chances of success would plummet to zero and Gavin would be pissed.  
Analysing the belt the Android Child – an YK500 with the designation Mary – caused a wave of relief to crash his systems. The explosives weren't set up right. That meant at least the child was somewhat safe.  
Gavin didn't know that, though and Nines had no way of communicating this vital piece of information. His partners stress levels lay at 73%. Sadly not much above his usual percentage, so Nines hoped he was able to function at optimal capacity.

„Hello Troy. Mind telling us what this is about?“ his partner started with such a soft voice that Nines nearly looked over to him in shock.

„I- I...get back! Just...“ the man rambled, pulling the child closer to himself and pointing the gun approximately where Gavin stood.

Given Troy shook like a leave Nines doubted any of his shots would hit. But there was still that little bit of stray chance that made his Thirium Pump hitch uncomfortably. Damn deviancy.

**New Objective: Protect Gavin Reed**

Nines willed the message away with a stoic face. It was stupid. His partner had a bullet proof vest on and was well able to handle the situation. Nines would be able to jump in if „shit got crazy“ as Gavin liked to say.

„Alright, we won't get any closer. We just want to talk.“ Gavin held his hands out staying put.

Mary whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Oh Ra9, why did it always have to be little girls? Reading her stress levels last he came up with a frightening 99%. Shit if she wouldn't calm down soon neither the man with the gun nor the explosives would matter.

_Hello Mary._ Nines contacted her. It was laughable how easily he could get into her mind without even asking for a connection. The girl visibly flinched at the new voice in her head. Thankfully her stress level did not go up that last percent. Instead big brown eyes landed on him.

_Is that you, sir?_ A timid voice answered. 

_Correct. I request you calm down. My partner and I will get you out safely._

_He's going to blow me up._ She whined.

_He won't. The belt he put on you is not functional._ Nines assured. Or tried to at least. It was hard for him not to sound monotone especially when communicating wirelessly.

_You're not lying?_

**Stress levels at 86%**

_I assure you. You are quite safe._

**Stress leves at 81%**

Good. That should suffice.

„I said don't step closer!“

Nines reeled from the sudden yell. He had no clue how he was able to react the way he did. His body for once faster than his mind. He grabbed Gavin and with one strong tug pulled him behind himself. Gavin cursed at him as a round of bullets rained down upon them. None hit their target as Nines had predicted, but all stress levels had gone up again.

**Probability of Success: 9%**

Shit.  
He wished he was allowed a gun as well. He would have been able to make quick work of the quivering man in front of him. But the humans did not trust Androids with guns yet, laws still in place that forbid them from using them. What a shame. At least Gavin was a good shot. Peaking out from behind Nines to shoot the fucker in the knee.  
Troy had not even hit the ground yet when Nines was already on him kicking away the gun and restraining him.

„Search for the detonator, while your at it.“ Gavin yelled. He was bent over the crying girl carefully pulling off the belt.

„There is none. The belt is a fake. Or at least very poorly crafted.“

Tension bled out slowly from his biocomponents as he gave Troy over to the ambulance. After some talk with the other officers around, Gavin and him were able to leave. Once away from the crime scene Gavin stretched, back popping.

„Man that was one hell of a case to start the day.“

„Agreed. It was a good thing none of the bullets hit.“ Nines replied.

„Well can't say that about your jacket. You're loosing some shit, too.“

Nines blinked down at his outfit at that. And lo and behold his jacket was shredded in various places. Some of the packages of catnip had gotten damaged as well, contents spilling out onto the streets as he pulled them out. Gavin choked out a laugh beside him.

„Is that catnip? Holy shit Nines, you trying to drug your cat so that it will like you?“

Nines shot him a disapproving look „Reliable sources said catnip is a good way to get cats used to new objects.“

„...Nines. Did you just refer to yourself as an object?“

They were walking towards Gavins car, when a small meow came from an allyway close to them. Without thinking about it the detective went to the source of the sound and Nines followed.

„I understand that I am a sentient being. However my body is artificial. Cat's could well see me as an object.“

A rugged looking, grey cat jumped in front of them as they stepped into the shadows sniffing around with big eyes. Gavin snorted amused when the thing rushed Nines and climbed him like a scratch post, pushing its nose into the pockets with the catnip. Nines had gone rigid, LED spinning yellow and hands hovering close to the thin body.

Gavin crossed his arms and watched with a shit eating grin. „Yeah, cats don't give a shit about stuff like that. You feed them, they love you. End of story.“

Nines finally plucked the stray from his ruined jacket and put her back on the ground. In that time another pair of glowing eyes had joined them, creeping closer as well.

„Vroom doesn't seem to care.“

Gavin scoffed, grin widening when three more cats joined the two already playing with Nines feet.  
„Sometimes cats are just assholes. Want an animal that will do whatever the fuck you want? You get a dog.“

Nines LED wouldn't go back down from yellow anymore. One of the cats had decided his shoulder to be the perfect perch, two were trying to climb his pant legs and the other two were hissing and chasing each other through Nines legs.  
A small click sounded and Nines sent Gavin an unimpressed look.

„Did you just make a photo?“

„You have the quantum computer for a brain, you figure it out.“

„How about a little help here?“ Nines asked while gently setting the cat that had been on his shoulder down.

„Nah, I live for your misery.“ Gavin laughed, now filming the whole thing. The little shit. „Just throw down the catnip, it'll keep them occupied. Or take one of those home. They seem to love you.“

Nines did what Gavin suggested and the strays scrambled after the stuff like addicts. „They could belong to someone. I will not touch them. Let's get back to the precinct.“

Nines decided to ignore the „You already touched them“ thrown his way.  
At the precinct he got some weird looks and Connor came up to him with amusement twinkeling in his soft brown eyes. Nines refused to tell him what had happened (except for the case) and Gavin kept quiet as well. It was a welcome surprise to only see him snickering when Connor turned to ask the detective what was going on. A surge of fondness swept over him at that. Nines liked to one up Connor, show him that he was better despite his lack of experience. Having Gavin as backup like that and seeing Connors pout at not getting the information he wanted, was immensely satisfying.

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. They had a lot of paperwork to fill out after the hostage situation and Troy to interrogate. The guy was only mumbling incoherent stuff, still on pain meds and probably red ice. They decided to leave him to sober up first.  
When their shift was finally over Nines was shocked to find Gavin waiting for him outside.

„Can I help you with something, Detective?“

„No, but I'm gonna help you get more catnip.“, came the gruff reply.

Nines shrugged it off, letting his partner follow him. As Nines bought more catnip Gavin bought some food and drinks for himself. Once in Nines apartment Gavin flopped down on the sofa and started munching on his bagel, leaving crumps everywhere. Nines knelt in front of the counter trying to ignore the mess his partner made, and held out a hand covered with the cat drug. Vroom only sniffed a little, before curling back up in a ball and hissing at him. After a few more minutes with nothing else happening Nines retreated with a sigh.  
As he sat down next to his partner with a frown the kitten came out of her hiding place, trodding over to Gavin and meowing for food.

„Traitor.“ Nines couldn't help but say.

„Some cats just don't care about catnip.“ Gavin said while feeding Vroom some of his ham.

Gavin had gone home after an hour, leaving Nines to his own dejected thoughts again. It felt weird being alone after having had company for the whole day. Nines didn't like the feeling of loneliness at all. He was just about to suck it up and contact Connor when a message blinked into existance in his field of vision. Opening it revealed it to be from Gavin. There was the picture of him surrounded by the strays, helpless and confused.

_Hey at least these guys liked your idea._

Nines couldn't help but smile at that. Looking over to Vroom, who had curled up at the far end of the couch he said: „See, some of your kind really like me.“

____________________

3) Toys

It's not that Vroom didn't already have toys. She had one tiny plastic mouse that squeaked when stepped on. There was a slim band hanging from her scratch post as well and he had bought a ball with a bell in it. His pet had enough to entertain herself with in his opinion. But maybe she didn't like the things he had given her? He had never seen her use the ball and the mouse had only started to be interesting when it had ended up in Gavins hand.  
Nines had tried to play with her too, the way he had seen his partner do it, but Vroom had not moved an inch from her hiding spot under the couch.  
Maybe she would like a feather duster more? Or she played with the string when he wasn't home?  
There were fingers snapping insistently in front of his face again. That was the second time that day.

„Yes, Detective?“

„Great you're back from lalaland. Get a fucking move on we're trying to interrogate Troyboy again.“

Nines stood up with a frown, following his partner to the interrogation room. Hank and Connor were already waiting for them. They were going to watch them from behind the glass, just to be sure. Troy had not been on red ice, but he had one hell of a drug record. It had been a miracle that he was still alive after the stuff he had consumed yesterday. A horrible, bad miracle, that is. The little Android girl would be traumatized for life. It would have been better had he just keeled over from an overdose.  
Nines nooded at the lieutenant and his predecessor before looking at the sad lump of a person sitting behind the glass.

„The guy looks like shit.“ Gavin summed up their findings.

„You look the same when you haven't slept for a night.“ Hank grumbled not unkindly.

Connor just sighed with fake exasperation, the small quirk of his lips betraying his good mood.  
Nines didn't wait for the verbal sparring match to really begin, instead marching into the room behind the glass. Gavin cursed at him and hurried to catch up so that they would get in at the same time. They hadn't spoken about their strategy of approach. But to any outsider it looked like they had rehearsed the performance. Gavin strutted in and took the chair opposite Troy, grabbing the case files and planting his feet up in one swift movement. Nines came up behind the suspect, one hand resting on the backrest of the chair. Troy was already sweating, stress levels at 68%. Given the man was as weak willed as Nines predicted this one would be over quick.  
Gavin was leisurely thumbing through the case file letting the tense silence eat away at their victim. There was no need for it, of course. Gavin and Nines had prepared themselves thoroughly. They just had a mutual preference to be assholes to bad people (although Gavin just liked to be an asshole in general).  
As soon as Troys stress levels had risen to 75% Nines tapped his finger on the backrest. It was a nearly silent action, but a cue that Gavin knew well. He closed the case file and pierced their suspect with a fiery gaze.

„Well Troy, got into quite a predicament yesterday. Got anything to say?“

„I wasn't...This was...Look.“ the guy swallowed rubbing his forehead with his free hand. „I didn't want this at all.“ He started again, his voice cracking painfully at times. „I didn't want to take the stuff they gave me. They forced me to do it. I can't remember what I did. I just... Oh god that girl! It wasn't me I swear! I swear...“

Troy had begun sobbing, head coming to rest on the cold steel table. Nines scanned him for any sign of lying. He shook his head at Gavin and his partner sighed.

„Great show there Shakespeare. But you do have a fucking lie detector standing right behind you.“

Nines gave Troy a thin, malicious grin when he looked up at him. Troy visibly whimpered. It shouldn't have given him as much satisfaction as it did.  
Tears continued to fall as the whole sob story came tumbling out of the man. Nines listened intently while using half his processing power to watch Gavin be bored to death. Nines wished for a moment that he could speak to his partner the way he could speak to Connor. It would have been – dare he say – fun to have had a private commentary flowing through his mind. Because Nines knew Gavin was itching to throw in some sarcasm here and there, tell Troy to hurry the hell up and get to the important parts. He couldn't do that, of course. There was a high risk Troy would close up if he felt he wasn't listened to.  
One hour twenty five minutes and fourty seconds later they exited the room with twin sighs of relief. Hank whistled at them as they joined them. He had his phone out, playing some sort of matching game.

„That was quite the show!“

Connor nodded. „You're working great together now. I'm glad to see that you're starting to get along.“ he said, only a hint of envy in his voice.

„Oh fuck off.“ Gavin grumbled „Glad he finally shut his damn mouth.“

„We got everything on footage?“ Nines asked his predecessor.

„Yes. You can upload your view onto the police server as well though. Just to be sure.“

Nines nodded and did just that. Then he promptly deleted everything from the last hour except a few bulletpoints for his record. He did not need to fill up his memory space with clutter like that.

Gavin groaned beside him. „I need a fucking coffee.“

And he got a cup, only it was for the road. A call came in reporting a recent murder. The house they came to visit was quite charming if not for the poor area it stood in. It was one of those white ones, made out of wood and with a love for detail. The paint had been scraped away by the weather at some points and the garden was a little overgrown, but other than that it just looked well lived in.  
The inside was well furnished, walls painted with warm colors. Big windows let in a lot of light. The air was stale and it smelled like something had been burned not long ago. In the bedroom lay a couple facing each other, brains blown out.  
As they walked from room to room, snopping around Nines found various samples of short hair.

„Do you think they had a cat?“ Nines asked as Gavin looked through the trash in the kitchen.

„Nines, what the fuck? Does it matter?“

„It could, maybe. If it was an Android one it could have seen something.“

„That's far fetched. You just want to talk about cats.“ Gavin snapped, making a face as he pulled out a half rotten...something from the bin. He threw it on the tiled floor with a smack.

„You don't want to?“ Nines asked opening cupboards at random. He really wasn't paying attention to what he was doing anymore, trusting his processing power and highened senses to inform him when something interesting plopped up.

„I'm always up for cats.“

„Would you like to buy cat toys with me then?“

He asked before he even knew what he was doing. Did he really just do that? Nines never asked for help if he could prevent it. He liked to think that he was perfectly capable of handling every situation by himself. He couldn't take it back though. Not when Gavin gave him a cute little smile and said „sure“.

They catalogued their findings and Nines reconstructed the scene, Gavin throwing in some questions here and there. They didn't have enough to identify the murderer for certain, but  
neither was too frustrated about that. After clocking out at the precinct they went to the pet store again. The cashier gave them a warm smile recognizing them already. Nines enjoyed browsing the shelfs together with his partner, chatting idly about everything and nothing. They argued a little about what to get Vroom, Gavin trying to keep Nines from buying too much stuff. „She'll only get overwhelmed!“  
In the end they purchased two small plush toys, a laser pointer, a feather duster and something that looked like a fishing rod and a cat bed with some blankets. The last part was Gavins idea. Nines insisted that the couch was a good enough resting place for the feline, which earned him a sharp glare.

„She's not a fucking Android Nines. Cats love having various places to lounge around on.“

As soon as they walked into the apartment they were greeted by Vroom. Or rather, Gavin was greeted by Vroom. The kitten mewled so loudly that Nines processors momentarily stuttered with worry. A quick scan of the feline told him nothing was wrong with her.

„Why is she yelling like that?“ he wondered out loud.

„Cause she missed us, dipshit. Also she probably wants to be fed. When do you usually give her food?“ A sharp meow interrupted him. „Yeah asshole I'm hungry too.“

„Did you just insult my cat?“

„It's an affectionate nickname, tin can.“

Nines went about feeding his charge while Gavin ordered food for himself and unpacked what they had bought. Together they looked for a good spot for the cat bed, Nines not sure where Vroom usually slept when he wasn't around. They decided to lay it on one of the window sills for now and spread some blankets close to the heater as well. It wasn't long until the door bell rung. Nines was surprised to find two small cartons pressed into his hand. Only one was for his partner, apparently.

Gavin shrugged when noticing the questioning look Nines sent his way. „What? They started making this weird Thirium food. Thought you might want to try it.“

Nines blinked something warm blossoming in his chest area. „Thank you.“

They sat together eating quietly, watching as Vroom inspected her new things, both grinning at each other when the kitten tried to get under the blankets and had a hard time getting out of them again. Soon Gavin had his phone out again, first to make pictures, than to record Vroom and somehow they ended up watching funny cat videos on the device and then Gavin just had to show him old vines. One thing let to another, they chatted, they laughed and before both of them realized it, it was late at night and Gavin was falling asleep on his shoulder. Not wanting to wake the exhausted detective Nines lay him down gently on the couch, LED spinning yellow when he came to realize that he was not prepared at all for a sleepover.  
He had no pillows, he did not even have cups or plates. And Gavin would want his coffee in the morning. It just now came to his mind that he really had nothing at all. The fridge was only packed with Thirium. The bedroom was an empty husk, only the vaccum cleaner in it and his loading station. It made something in his stomach twist. Something like sadness clawing gently at his heart.  
Nines shook his head frowning. There was nothing he could do about that now, so he sat down crosslegged on the floor, his back leaning on the couch, and went into stasis.

____________________

4) Treats

People stared when they set foot into the precinct together talking animately with each other. Gavin was even laughing! And not that mirthful, mean laugh either! Hell must have frozen over.  
Nines proudly swept his gaze over the stunned faces, only Tina grinned and gave him a happy salute. Hank and Connor were out, unfortunately, both taking an earned day off. Nines knew exactly what they were doing, his predecessor sending him updates and pictures every few minutes since he had come out of stasis and accepted the connection this morning. It would have been annoying had it not been so endearing.

The next days melted into weeks and Gavin visiting him after their shift was becoming a normal occurance. Nines used the days he didn't come over to make his apartment more human friendly. Vroom was delighted to finally be granted access to the bedroom. And she was even more happy when Nines decided to buy a bed.  
The fridge now also had human beverages and food in it. In the bathroom he added human shampoo and soap and a second toothbrush for when Gavin stayed over. The kitchen got stocked with tableware and Gavin brought over a small TV and an old Playstation 6 to play games on and to watch movies.  
But as much as Gavin had warmed up to him, Vroom still wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole (even if she could). It still frustrated him to no end that he was failing spectacularly at his self assigned mission. He didn't want to admit it, but he was deathly afraid of a mission failure one day popping up in his field of vision. He was the best Cyberlife had to offer, even if he was left incomplete. He desperately wanted to keep the status of being perfect. (Or as perfect as anyone could get.)  
That is why he started to experiment with several different cat treats. Gavin always said that love came through the stomach (a saying Nines didn't understand, it was scientifically incorrect after all).  
Maybe he was getting a bit carried away with it. Maybe he overdid it a little with the feeding. But Vroom now trodded after him like a lost duckling howling for more whenever he came back from work or woke up from stasis. And if the kitten tumbling around his feet wasn't the cutest sight he had ever seen than he didn't know what was.  
Gavin, being the brillant detective he was, obviously noticed.

„Dude, Vroom got pretty fat for her age.“ he commented one evening.

He had the traitor on his lap again making her purr up a storm. Nines wished he was on that lap. Wait no. He meant to think that he wished to have the cat in his lap. Ra9, what was wrong with him these days?

„I don't know what you are talking about.“

„I'm talking about the shit ton of cat food you store under your bed.“

Gavin huffed, heavily leaning into Nines side as his eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds. It wasn't late yet, but the human hadn't slept well the nights before. Nines Thirium pump fluttered at the light contact. Something that had happened quite a lot since Gavin had started to casually touch him.

„I'm not feeding her that much.“ Nines tried to argue, not wanting to admit his weakness.

„You went through two bags of treats this week alone. That's far too much for such a tiny body.“

Nines gently sneaked an arm around Gavins waist. Only to maybe be able to pet Vroom, he told himself. Gavin let him, but Vroom recoiled as soon as Nines fingertips got close to her fur. He let his hand sink. Maybe he could try again later when she settled down.

„She is so cute when she wants something.“

„She's going to fucking die of cardiac arrest if you don't stop overfeeding her.“ Gavin mumbled, only barely awake.

„But she won't love me anymore when I stop.“ Nines tried to defend his actions.

Gavin sighed as if the world just decided to drop a huge fucking bolder on his shoulders. He snuggled more into the Android and Nines instinctively adjusted his settings so his body would warm up. His partner nuzzled into his shoulder in thanks, cold nose barely brushing Nines neck.

„Stubborn toaster, just give her a fucking rest. I needed to work nearly half a god damn year with you until I even spoke to your plastic ass.“

„I don't like waiting.“

Gavin snorted. „Yeah no shit. Now carry me to bed peasant.“

When he got the detective savely tugged under the sheets Nines laid down on top of the blankets on the other side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, LED spinning yellow as he thought. Waiting just felt like giving up to him, but maybe he was being overdramatic. Maybe trying a little less wouldn't hurt.

____________________

5) Patience

Animals are like people, they all have different personalities. Some are trusting and nice and some are just naturally wary. Nines had bought a kitten that was grumpy and mistrusting from the very beginning. Maybe that's exactly what had drawn him to her in the first place. Her brownish, striped furr and her green eyes reminded him of Gavin. It seemed only right that the attitude matched as well. He hadn't been conscious of that fact until much later, of course. It was actually Gavin who pointed it out to him, four months after first taking him to his apartment.

„You are seeing patterns where there are none.“ Nines pointed out. He was currently trying to make scrambled eggs, but he couldn't get the temperature of the pan right.

Gavin stood next to him, leaning on the counter with his arms crossed doing absolutely nothing. Nines would have called him lazy had they not just gone through two all-nighters together.

„Yeah sure keep denying it, asshat. I'm onto you.“

Nines LED briefly flashed red in frustration, playing with the settings of his stove for the fifth time. A slightly dry hand swatted his away.

„Geez, just add the fucking eggs already. I'm going to starve before you even start.“

„But the temperature.“ Nines tried, letting himself be hip shoved to the side.

„Not everything has to be fucking perfect. It's just fucking food, man.“

Nines huffed coming up behind his partner to rest his head atop of Gavins. Like many things to do with the detective he hadn't meant to do that at all. And he was about to pull back (but not apologize) when he felt Gavin lean into him.

„You know we are fucking domestic right now, right?“ Gavin murmured, adding the eggs and milk to the pan, letting the dish fizzle.

„I don't quite follow.“ Nines admitted, watching the blubbering mass. It still was a few degrees off.

Gavin swallowed heavily and Nines felt him tense up a bit. He tightened his arms in response, crowding impossibly closer. It seemed to help, for some reason. It got Gavin to talk, at least.

„What I mean is...shit. Okay. Nines?“

„Yes?“

„Don't you think it's about fucking time we started dating? Like in private. I don't want the fuckers at the precinct to know. Except for Tina, Tina is fine-“

Nines Thirium pump just about jumped out of his body. Now that Gavin had shown open interest, Nines felt bold enough to kiss him silent.

„I would love that.“ Nines whispered in Gavins hair with a smile.

„Great.“

_____________

Nines still marveled at the outcome. In a sense he had accomplished his first mission. He had bought a pet to not feel lonely anymore. And with Gavin by his side, he didn't.  
They were sitting on the couch again, as so many other nights, watching an old horror movie. Nines was giving a running commentary of all the things wrong with the movies plot and Gavin had made it his mission to add something sarcastic to every one of them. Nines was so distracted with his boyfriend that he at first didn't feel the gentle nudge at his hand. Only when a rough tongue began to lick at his artificial skin did Nines look. And he instantly froze up. Gavin paused the movie in confusion, laughing when he noticed what was up.

„Well, look who's starting to warm up to you.“

Nines could only stare, mesmerized by the large eyes staring up at him. A faint meow was directed at him, making his processors stutter.

„Go on, pet her.“

„But what if she runs away?“

Gavin shook his head bemused, then took Nines hand in his own and guided it to the kittens head. Nines couldn't help the small sound of wonder leaving him as he felt the soft fur beneath his fingertips. The kitten bumped her head into the soft carress, before deciding she had enough affection for tonight and trodding off.

„I love her.“

Arms wound around Nines's waist and he felt Gavins nose digging between his shoulderblades. „Great, hope not as much as me, though.“

„That's not possible.“

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be short and sweet, but then Nines decided to be stubborn. I also have no idea how rating works on this side.
> 
> Whelp back to writing on the next installment for Sibling Time XD


End file.
